Process and apparatus for the recovery of gaseous vapors



April 14, 1925 1,533,716

C. L. VORESS ET AL PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR THE RECOVERY OF GASEOUS VAPORS Filed Nov. 12, 1924 o 3 3 v 23 8 a U h n l 1 23 g "k Y citizens of the United States,

Patented Apr. 1 4, 1925.

. UNITED STATES,

v 1,533,716 PATENT OFFICE. v

CLYDE LENNA D voEEss,

VERNON CHARLES CANTER, AND-ROBERT WALFBED SKOOG, OF CHARLESTON, WEST VIRGINIA. 4 p

PROCESS AND APPARATUS Eon THE RECOVERY or GASEO'US VAPO'RS.

application filed November 12, 1924. Serial N o.'749,465.

To all whom. it may concern:

Be it known that we, CLYDE L. VORESS, VERNON C. CANTER, andRonER'r W. SKOQG, residing at Charleston, in the county of Kanawha. and State. of West Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes and Apparatus for the Recovery of Gaseous Vapors; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled .in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to new and novel improvements in gaseous vapors from gas mixtures. One object of the invention isfto provide an easily operated and efficient method for the recovery of gaseous vapors when found in ously supplied in ture lower relatively high saturations in gas mixtures. Another object of. the invention is to pro-' vide a process and apparatus in which cooling after distillation may be carried out in two or more stages. A third object of the invention is to provide a process and apparatus in which theresidue vapors after having a portion of the recoverable vapors 'be used to remove heat previremoved, may

' the distillation from a solid absorbent medium. .Other objects will appear as the description and discussion of the process is presented hereinafter.

During the past few years, a process has been developed for continuously absorbin and separating vapors in and from solid absorbents consisting in passing -.a gaseous mixture containing VZIPOI'S to be. recovered into said absorbent, then introducing (listilling vapors into the charged absorbent for sufficient time only to displace the first mentioned vapors and to deposit condensates from the distilling vapors in said absorbent, then introducing more of the first gaseous mixture into theabsorbent to cool it and displace the distilling vapors at a-temperathan that at which the vapors to displaced by the distilling described and set out in United States Patent. No. 1,420,613. In the commercial application of that process, it has been found that where the gaseous mixture contains a relatively high proportion of recoverable-vapors, there is insuflicient residue gas to carry away tity of heat from the solid absorbent and be recovered were vapors. This is that. it is desirable and the following described a process for recovering operation is as follows:

through valve 5, through b 1l1ne 7 then into container the required quan-v from, the walls of the container, etc., to reduce the temperature of the solid absorbent at the end of the cooling division of. the

.cycleapproximately to that of the entering gas. Although it is not absolutely necessary the temperature be reduced that low,

process and apparatus are so deslgned as to accomplish that result. We realize that three ordi'our or any number of cooling stages m1ght be added and do not wish to llmlt ourselves to just two cooling stages,

although inmost cases two stages are all.

that will be necessary. 1-

The apparatusconsists in containers A, B, and D, filled with a solid absorbent medium such as activated charcoal having valved conduits attached both at the top and the *bottom asshown in the drawing filed herewith, permitting both the gaseous m xture andthe distillingvapors to be controlled at the will of t First step;-The gaseous mixture will enter through line 1, pass through valve 2 through line 3 into container'and through the absorbent in container A. out line 4, -pass.-line 6 into absorbent in container 0 out line 8,

through valve 9 into line 10, then through line 11, throughcooler 12,through line 13 and line 14, through valve 15 and line 16 in container .13 out line 17, through valve 18 into line 19, into line 20 and-then to such point'as the operator may desire. 'In the meantime, distilling vapors have been centering through line 21,'v'alve 22 and line 23 into container D through the absorbent in container D where vapors absorbed in a previous step are displaced and carried away out line 24, valve 25, through line 26 and 27 to such point as the operator'may desire.

Second step.-The' gaseous mixture will enter through line 1, pass through valve 28 through line 16 into container B and through the absorbent in container B, out line 17 through valve 29, through by-pass line 30 into line 24then into container D out line 23, through valve 31 into line 11 through cooler 12, through line 13, and line 32 through valve 33' into container C out line 8, through valve 34 into line 35 into C through the e operator. -The into container B then through absorbent line and then to such point as the operathr may desire. In the meantime, dis, tilling vapors have been entering through line 21, valve 36 and line 4 into container A through the absorbent in container A where vapors absorbed in a previous step are displaced and carried away, out line 3, valve 37, through line 27 to such points as the operator may desire.

Thmi 8t61L-Tl18 gaseous mixture will enter through line 1, pass through valve 38, through line 7 into container F C, through out line 8, through valve 39 through line 40, into line 3 through the absorbent in container A out line 4 into valve 41, into line 42, into line 11, through cooler 12, through line 13 and. line 43, through valve 44, through line 24 into container 'D out line 23, through valve into line 46 into line 20 and then to such point as the o rator may desire.- In the meantime, disti ling -vapors have been'entering through line 21, valve 47 and line 17, into contalner B throughthe absorbent in container B where vapors absorbed in a previous step are displaced and carried away, out line 16, valve 48 through line 49 and line 27 to such points as the operator may desire.

Fourth step.The gaseous mixture will enter through line 1, pass through valve 50 through line 24 into container D and through the absorbent container D, outline 23, through valve 51, through line 52 into line 16 then into container B outline 17 through valve 53 into line 54, and line 11, through cooler 12, through line 13, and line 55, through valve 56 into absorbent container A, out line 4, through valve 57 into'line 58, into line 20 and then to suchfpoint as the operator may desire. In the meantime, distillingvapors have been entering through line 21, valve 59 and line 18'into container tural gas containing recoverable gasoline residue gas after the vapors in amounts varying, from one and one-half to two gallons per thousand cubic cell or higher amounts than this, when con-f tracted at a normal temperature .of between- 40 and 100 to 125 depending upon atmos; pheric conditions, will leave" insuflicient recoverable vapors have the'absorbent in container (3 vaporized equiva through the absorbent in container C v we point out its'use in the recoveryphase displacement as dethe cycle 'is composed of the been removed to cool the charcoal and displace the water vapor which was previously supplied by a steam distillation, to a temperature approaching the tem erature of the inlet natural gas and a con ition where the major portion of the absorbed water. has been displaced. This is lar ely due to the fact that a bed of activated 0 arcoal has a capacity to absorb and hold a pretermined amount of natural gasoline. For example, let us assume that a bed. containi 1000 bs. of charcoal has a capacity to absor approximately twenty-five gallons of asoline'. this twenty-five gallons of gaso ine is taken from natural gas having a gasoline content of one gallon per 1000 cu. ft.,then 25,000 cu. ft,, of gas would be passed through the charcoal, leaving a residue after thegasoline vapors have been absorbed of ap roximately 24,250 cu. it. Now if this same d of char-.

cubic feet, only 5000 cu. ft., of natural gasoline va ormixture would have to be passed throng the bed to saturate it 4 and the residue would only be applroximately 4250 cu. ft., assumin one on of gasoline ant to 30 cu. ft. of gaseous vapor. The relative saturation of the charcoal which could be carried when contacting gas with a five gallon content as a -ainst a one gallon'content is only slightly ifi'erent from these figures. It may readily'be seen that while in' the first instance, 24,250 cu. ft. of residue gas would be available for coolin purposes, only 4,250 cu. ft. would'be availa 1e in the second instance. B the novel improvement herein describe the residue gas in the second part of the cycle after having been passed through the first container and allowed to absorb as much heat as pomible, would be passed through a primary cooler exchanged would be removed and the gas passed through a second bed of charcoal which'has in the second step of the previous cycle been subjected to the'primary cooling I though the amount would not be as great as that carried away in the first step, since the temperature of the charcoal bed would have where as much heat as could be. I

beenreduced in the primary passage of the gas. I c

It is quite evident that as many other cooling steps might be added as desired. It is quite evident from this description that the addition of the extracooling step modifies thecooling step of the three ste cycle absorption process described in the ereinbefore mentioned U. S. Patent No. 1,420,613 to a four step cycle process. Each step of First, passing a gaseous mixture containing vapors tobe recovered 1n contact with the three parts:

' each,

coverable vapors in a solid tacts,

absorbent; second first gaseous mixture into the absorbent to cool it and dis lace the distilling vapors at a temperature ower than that at whlch the vapors to be recovered were displaced by. the distilling vapors. In other words, it requires four complete steps of the three parts before each of the four beds has been subjected to the same treatment and a cycle completed. If the number of cooling steps were increased it would require as many steps of three parts each as there are beds before a complete round of the system would be completed. 4

. What we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A process for the extraction of gaseous vapors from gas mixtures whichconsists in a multiple step system, each step 'hav1ng the successive parts of absorption of reabsorbent dis-. distilling placement absorbed vapors by vapors and cooling with the lighter vapors carried along with the residue vapors from the previous absorption in multiple successive contacts, wherein forced cooling by conventional means .is resorted. to between each of the last mentioned successive multiple contacts.

2. A process for theextraction of gaseous vapors from gas mixtures which consists in a four step system, each step having the successive parts of absorption of recover-- able vapors in a solid absorbent displacement of absorption vapor by distilling vapors and cooling with the lighter vapors carried along with the residue vapors from the previous absorption in two successive contacts with conventional cooling and withdrawal of any condensates between the two contacts. 1

3. A process for theextraction of gasoline vapors from natural gas which consists in a multiple step system, each step having the successive parts of absorption of recoverable vapor ina solid absorbent. displacement of absorbed vapor by distilling vapors and cooling with the lighter vapors carri along with the residue vapors from the previous absorption in multiple successive conwherein forced cooling by conventional means is resorted to between each of the last mentioned successive multiple contacts.

4. A process for the extraction of gasoline vapors from natural gas which consists in a four step system, each step having the successive parts of absorption of recoverable vapor in a solid absorbent displacement of absorbed vapors by distilling vapors and cooling with the lighter vapors carried along vaporsin saidabsorbent; third, lntroducmg more of theabsorption in two successive contacts with coolingand withdrawal of any condensates i between the two contacts.

5. A. process for the extraction of gasoline vapors from natural gas which consists in a four step system, each having the successive parts 0 absorption of recoverable vapors in activated charcoal displacement of absorbed vapors by distilling vapors and cooling with the lighter va ors carried along with the residue vapors rom the previous absorption in two successive contacts with cooling and withdrawal of any condensates between the two contacts. 6. In a processforthe extraction of gaseous vapors from gas mixtures a method of, cooling which consists in subjecting a gaseous mixture'to a solid absorbent already heated and partially saturated with water vapors wherein the water va rs are displaced and the absorbent coole by a number of successive contactswith said gaseous mixture, said solid being in four or more beds, andibetween each contact the gaseous mixture being subjected to cooling and the sepation of hquidycondensates.

7. In a process for the recovery of gasoline from natural gas mixtures a method of cooling which consists in subjecting a gaseous mlxture to a solid absorbent already heated and partially saturated with water vapors wherein the water vapors are-displaced and the absorbent cooled bya number of successive contacts with said gaseous mixture, said solid being in four or more beds, between each contact the gaseous mixture being subjected to cooling and the separation of liquid condensates.

. 8. "In a process for the recovery of gasoline from natural gas mixtures a method of cooling which consists in subjecting a gase- V ous mixture to activated charcoal already heated and partially saturated with water vapors wherein the water vapors" are dis placed and the absorbent cooled by a. number of successive contacts with said gaseous mixture, said solid being in one or more beds, between each contact the gaseous mixture being subjected to cooling and the separation of liquid condensates.

9. An apparatus for the recovery of gaseous vapors rom gaseous mixtures consisting in a multiple number of containers of such character that they maybe charged with a solid absorbent, each having the following connections and conduits; one valved inlet conduit and one valved exit conduit for conveying gaseous mixtures; a second valved inlet conduit and a second valved exit con-v duit connected through a cooling s stem, a gas cooler of conventional type, a va ve gaseous vapor conduit extending from one end tainer,

-' consists of container by tilhng conduit for carr ing distilling and distilled d vapors from eac container. '10. An apparatus for the recovery of gaseous va rs our containers of such character that they may be char ed with .a solid absorbent, each having ti conduits; valved inlet conduit, valved exit .end of sec conduit for conveyin valved'ex-it .pi e an pipeconnecte gas mixtures 11. second through a cooler system, a

gas cooler of conventional t pe, a valved gaseous va or conduit exten ing from the conduit for carrging distilled and from gas mixtures which e following'valved' a second va ved inlet w container to the opposite end of a second container separated from the first container 5' at ieast-.-one intervening container, a 'va ved conduit for carrying 20 istilling vapors into each container and a distilling vapors from eac container. g

cooling method which consists in suhjecting cooled gaseous vapors to a heated 25 solid absorbent, partially saturated with .displaceable gaseous. va

rs in successive contacts employing cool ng of thegaseousvapors not absorbed between each contact. In testimony whereof we afiix our signals ,ures.

' CLYDE LENNARD VORESS.

. VERNON CHARLES CANTER. ROBERT WALFRED SKOOG; 

